WORKDAY

by Chris Musatto

Stilton Smyth lay nude on the table in the pristine, white travel chamber.
Its climax was a moment of blankness that he enjoyed, and it came upon him with the usual unexpected rush. It was calm and violence, expanding infinitely, contracting to singularity, pain and oblivion climaxing in blankness. All too soon, it was over.
Back to work, he thought.

He proceeded to dress himself. His clothes were fashionable for that year. He considered himself slightly ahead of his time in that department. A trendsetter, but respectable, and his haircut accentuated this look. Fashion changed so quickly, but he was pretty on top of things. The latest fashions were easy to keep up with if you knew where to go on the commons. There was no time for nostalgia in his world. The girls liked him and he knew that. When he went to the clubs with his friends, it was like browsing a bookstore;
so many intriguing titles and covers. A conversation was like reading the synopsis to see if you were still interested. Just last night he was in a club on Kepler 298. Kepler was the planet most often haunted by him and his crew. He had this group of girls believing he was a soldier battling the cretins in the Tau Ceti system. Did they really believe him? Did it matter? What was her name again?

Rumbling in the Ground

by Tiona Mouton

Rumbling in the ground, roar of machines.I watch as birds flee from trees.They fall to the ground one by one the only alternative I have is to run. Friends and family sprint away,But are suddenly captured at the scene.Cries could be heard of pain and sorrow, but were drowned out by The wails of the forest herself.As though hearing her plead the sky suddenly turned grey. Swirling dark clouds that looked like a predator stalking their prey.